Close Call in Colorado


 
 
 
 “Just to be safe, maybe you shouldn’t be alone,” Danny said.
 Carrie glanced at him. “Oh, I don’t think Ted would hurt me.”
 “You said yourself he was furious. And he blamed you for putting him on the spot.”
 She huffed out a breath. “You have a point, but don’t worry. Like I said before, it’s rare that I’m ever alone. So I guess I’m safe.”
 “You’re alone with me now.”
 Silence. She turned to look at him. “I am, aren’t I?” Her lips curved into a slow smile. “But you don’t scare me, Danny.”
 “That’s good.” He settled back into his seat. He’d never tell her, but when he was being honest, she scared him, just a little. She unsettled him and made him think about her in a way he had never thought about another woman. As if the thought of her being hurt by anyone caused a physical pain.
 Danny wasn’t that kind of man, but it seemed with Carrie, he was...
 
 
 CLOSE CALL IN COLORADO
 Cindi Myers
 
 
 
 Cindi Myers is the author of more than fifty novels. When she’s not plotting new romance story lines, she enjoys skiing, gardening, cooking, crafting and daydreaming. A lover of small-town life, she lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in the Colorado mountains.
 Books by Cindi Myers
 Harlequin Intrigue
 Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue
 Eagle Mountain Cliffhanger
 Canyon Kidnapping
 Mountain Terror
 Close Call in Colorado
 Eagle Mountain: Search for Suspects
 Disappearance at Dakota Ridge
 Conspiracy in the Rockies
 Missing at Full Moon Mine
 Grizzly Creek Standoff
 The Ranger Brigade: Rocky Mountain Manhunt
 Investigation in Black Canyon
 Mountain of Evidence
 Mountain Investigation
 Presumed Deadly
 Eagle Mountain Murder Mystery: Winter Storm Wedding
 Ice Cold Killer
 Snowbound Suspicion
 Cold Conspiracy
 Snowblind Justice
 Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.
 
 
 CAST OF CHARACTERS
 Carrie Andrews—A successful architect and single mother of two children, Carrie must step into the role of SAR captain when someone threatens everyone in the organization and the culprit may be one of the other volunteers.
 Danny Irwin—A longtime SAR volunteer and RN, Danny has a reputation as an easygoing ladies’ man who is only out for a good time. But when an unknown assailant threatens SAR—and Carrie—he reveals another side of his personality.
 Ted Carruthers—One of the founding members of the organization, Ted is dedicated, but lately he’s been having trouble keeping up with the demands of the work. He doesn’t take kindly to the prospect of being sidelined.
 Austen Morrissey—The rookie volunteer was once saved by SAR and has joined the organization to pay back that debt.
 Tony Meisner—The SAR captain’s near-fatal accident during a training exercise is the first of several incidents designed to destroy the organization.
 
 
 Contents
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 Chapter Six
 Chapter Seven
 Chapter Eight
 Chapter Nine
 Chapter Ten
 Chapter Eleven
 Chapter Twelve
 Chapter Thirteen
 Chapter Fourteen
 Chapter Fifteen
 Chapter Sixteen
 Epilogue
 Excerpt from Biscayne Bay Breach by Caridad Piñeiro
 
 
 Chapter One
 On the list of activities Carrie Andrews would like to be doing on a frigid March Saturday, rappelling into an icy canyon didn’t even make the top twenty. Yet here she was, standing on the edge of the canyon wall, in helmet, climbing harness and crampons, awaiting her turn to complete the descent as part of a required training exercise with Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue.
 “I’ll send you down as soon as Tony and Danny are safely at the bottom.” Training officer Sheri Stevens came to stand beside Carrie. A tall blonde who regularly competed in—and won—ice climbing competitions, Sheri thrived on this kind of thing. Like several others on the search and rescue team, she made dangerous exercises like this one look easy.
 Carrie clapped her gloved hands together, trying to force more warmth into her fingers. “I don’t know why I always get so nervous about these climbs,” she said. “I’ve done them dozens of times.”
 “Just remember your training and take your time,” Sheri said. “Safety is way more important than speed, even in real-life situations where an injured person is awaiting rescue down there. You can’t help someone if you don’t get to them safely.”
 Carrie nodded. “I know.” But after five years with the team, she also had a mental catalogue full of terrible climbing accidents they had responded to—a graphically illustrated memory bank of everything that could go wrong.
 She forced her attention back to the two men currently rappelling into the canyon. SAR captain Tony Meisner descended swiftly, comfortable enough to use both hands to navigate around icy outcroppings, relying on his harness and the Prusik loop that provided a backup to the belay loop to keep him safe, whereas Carrie was never able to let go of her death grip on the rope as she descended.
 Positioned several yards over from Tony, Danny Irwin was a more tentative climber. Like Carrie, he had trained extensively and could be counted on in an emergency to do everything required, but he wasn’t one to climb for enjoyment. Fun and easygoing on the ground, he was all business when it came to anything dangerous. A nurse in his day job, he had a reputation as a bit of a player, having dated every single woman on the team except Carrie, who had turned down his overtures when she first joined SAR five years previously. He hadn’t pressed the issue, and they worked well together on the team, but they weren’t close.
 “Tony is really booking it today,” Sheri said. She moved over to get a better look. “He’s almost to that last tricky part where the canyon wall juts out.”
 “Why did he choose that route?” Carrie shifted closer to Sheri. “Why not move over where he doesn’t have to negotiate around that spot?”
 “He said he wanted a challenge.” Sheri shrugged. “You know Tony. He does things his own way.”
 “I guess it’s